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Grace Family Vineyards

Vineyard and winery in Napa, California

Vineyard and winery in Napa, California

FieldValue
winery_nameGrace Family Vineyards
location_citySaint Helena
location_stateCalifornia
location_countryUnited States
coordinates
wine_regionNapa Valley
appellationSt Helena AVA
other_labelsCornelius Grove Vineyard, Reliquus
year_founded
first_vines1976
first_vintage1978
* Kathryn Green,<ref>{{Cite weburlhttps://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=212261title=Grace Family Vineyards Sold}} owner
cases_per_year1000
signature_wine
varietal1Cabernet Sauvignon
other_product1Olive oil
homepagehttp://www.gracefamilyvineyards.com
other_attractions
distribution
tasting
  • Kathryn Green, owner
  • Helen Keplinger, winemaker

The Grace Family Vineyards is a vineyard and winery in Napa, California. It is widely regarded as one of the original cult wineries in the Napa Valley, and was the first American winery to use the word "family" in its name.

Today the winery manages two estate vineyards with distinct geologies in the St Helena AVA, separated by the West Napa Fault line. Grace estate was formed by a discrete volcanic event 5 million years ago, whereas Heath Canyon Ranch (home to the Cornelius Grove and Heath Canyon vineyards) was formed by a combination of volcanic and fluvial activity some 100 million years ago.

Production has remained very limited.

In 2014, Helen Keplinger took over as winemaker. In 2019, Kathryn Green became the custodian of Grace Family Vineyards.

Some forty years after the first release, the Grace Family Estate and the Cornelius Grove Vineyard wines were both awarded 100 points by Antonio Galloni and James Suckling respectively, with the former also choosing Helen Keplinger as his winemaker of the year.

A third wine, Reliquus, has been produced since 2016, a blend of grapes from the winery's two estate vineyards, farmed to the same standard as the vineyard designate wines, it is aimed as an expression of the vintage as opposed to the distinct terroir, with the intent of being drunk earlier as such it is often found on wine lists of prominent restaurants.

History

The winery began when Ann and Dick Grace planted 1 acre of vines in 1976. The first vintage was produced in 1978, at Chuck Wagner's winery, Caymus. A second acre was added in 1985, but phylloxera took its toll, as the winery's vines were planted on non-resistant rootstock. Additional problems with oak root fungus in the original acre caused the need to replant the entirety in 1995. The winery's yield dropped from 350 cases in the to a low of 48 cases in 1996, when the wine was allocated as one 1-liter bottle per customer on the winery's mailing list. Another acre of planting and re-planted vines in the old acreage brought production up to 150 cases in 1998.

Charity

The winery's mission statement is "Wine as a catalyst towards healing our planet." The programs of the Grace Family Vineyards Foundation are primarily in India, Nepal, Mexico, Tibet, and America.

Grace Family wines has been involved with the Naples Winter Wine Festival since its first year in 2001. In 2006, a 12-liter Balthazar of 2003 Grace Family Cabernet drew $90,000 ($ in dollars) in bids at the festival's charity auction. For the 2012 charity auction, a Balthazar of both Grace Family and their second label, Blank, drew a $160,000 ($ in dollars) bid.

Vineyard and winemaking

The Grace Family properties are organic and biodynamically farmed.

Gary Galleron was head winemaker between 1988 and 1995, when Heidi Peterson Barrett took over winemaking duties.

References

References

  1. "Grace Family Vineyards Sold".
  2. "Icons & Innovations: California Cult Wines: Anatomy of a Cult Wine".
  3. "Grace Family Vineyards Sold".
  4. "Grace Family Vineyards". [[Dean & Deluca]].
  5. Molesworth, James. (August 10, 2022). "Tradition Informs the Future at Napa's Grace Family".
  6. (2023-03-20). "Grace Family Vineyards redux {{!}} JancisRobinson.com".
  7. (2023-03-20). "Grace Family Vineyards redux {{!}} JancisRobinson.com".
  8. (2023-03-20). "Grace Family Vineyards redux {{!}} JancisRobinson.com".
  9. "Vinous {{!}} Explore All Things Wine".
  10. Suckling, James. (March 6, 2024). "GRACE FAMILY VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY ST. HELENA CORNELIUS GROVE 2021".
  11. "Vinous {{!}} Explore All Things Wine".
  12. "Vinous {{!}} Explore All Things Wine".
  13. "History". Grace Family Vineyards.
  14. Clark, Carolyn Stewart. "Grace Family Vineyards". AtlasOfWineries.com.
  15. Morgan, Jeff. (12 Apr 1999). "Grace Family Vineyards Confronts Wine Shortage with New Bottle". [[Wine Spectator]].
  16. "Winery News". Grace Family Vineyards.
  17. Albers, Katherine. (28 January 2012). "Naples Winter Wine Festival ends; $107 million overall, $12.2 million today". [[Naples Daily News]].
  18. "Grace Family Vineyards Sold".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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